classicsoncall Review of The Man with Bogart's Face

The Man with Bogart's Face (1980)

"Get a couple o' snifters while I uncork".

[7/10 · 14 September 2010]

Humphrey Bogart is my favorite classic film actor; actually he's my favorite actor altogether. "The Maltese Falcon" is right up there on my list of Bogey favorites, so having that one under your belt probably gives you a leg up on the stuff going on in 'Bogart's Face'. Most of the references are right out there, like the 'Eyes of Alexander' sapphires in place of that evil black bird. But there are subtler ones as well, like Sam Marlow (Robert Sacchi) hiding a note in the bedpost, in an aside to "Casablanca". Even some of the characters parallel the greats - Buono for Greenstreet, and Lom for Lorre, but the depth of the talent doesn't carry on down the line. As the two detectives tailing Marlow and the gems, Richard Bakalyan and Gregg Palmer don't have the personality to parry with Marlow the way Barton MacLane and Ward Bond did in the original. As for Sacchi, he's a credit to Bogart and his mannerisms, and if you're watching a slightly fuzzy VHS copy of the film, there are a few scenes where he's a complete dead ringer. But he did overdo it with the facial grimace; Bogart did it for emphasis and effect. Sacchi just does it, all the time, and it gets a bit tedious. Still, you can have some fun with this one, Bogart fan or not. My recommendation - play it Sam, play it one time.